October 6, 2009

Here is your exclusive invitation to the Tulle Party, a networking party for wedding and event professionals! At the Tulle Party, you can taste hors d’oeuvres from a variety of Niagara’s finest caterers, have ice wine, enjoy a very unique entertainment show, win prizes, enjoy effective networking games and activities — all while getting your business name out there! The Tulle Party is tradeshow-meets-cocktail party-meets-a great night out! No other event gives you such an opportunity to ignite your business rolodex! It’s definitely a first of its kind!

Event Basics:
The Tulle Party is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at the Niagara Bird Kingdom (formerly the Niagara Aviary) located at 5651 River Road in Niagara Falls. The event officially begins with the Tradeshow, starting at 6pm, and will go to about 11pm.

Tradeshow Tables:
There are a number of tradeshow tables available — skirted 6’ and 8’ rectangular tables. If you are interested in reserving one, please contact Ellen (289.668.7933 or ellen@aboutabride.ca). You can either purchase individually ($5 for the evening) or as part of the $20 advertising package (see below).

Favor Bags:
Along with Ingenious Designs (another sponsor of this event), the Tulle party will be providing Favor Bags. If you are interested in inserting favors/promotional material (there will be a max of 100 bags), please contact Ellen (289.668.7933 or ellen@aboutabride.ca). The cost to insert your favor or promotional material is $5 for all 100 bags. Insertion deadline is Saturday, October 31st. I can either pick up your materials, you can drop them off here or we can find a mutually accommodating location.

Advertising Package:
Maximize your advertising power! For $20, you can utilize the Favor bags (100 bags, as stated above), display your product or portfolio at the Tradeshow, include a custom-ad in the Event Programme and have a 6-month full business listing on the About a Bride Weddings and Events website (www.aboutabride.ca). Mix and match options are available – just contact Ellen (289.668.7933 or ellen@aboutabride.ca)

Additional Advertising:
1. All guests will have their logo/business card image displayed in a slideshow (running throughout the night). Please send a PowerPoint Slide with what you would like to show. The deadline for this is Monday, October 19th.
2. There will be an Event Programme distributed at the event. If you would like to insert your business card image or logo, it is $5 and needs to be sent along with the PowerPoint Slide by Monday, October 19th.
3. If you are interested in donating a door prize, please let Ellen know.

Special Offer:
The Bird Kingdom is offering free admission to view the aviary attraction after 6pm, but part of the attraction will be closed after 5pm due to the time of year and lack of staffing. But if you come prior to closing time (10am – 5pm), they are only charging $5 per person. Normal price is $16.95. I think this would be a great start to your evening — besides, from touring the attraction, you will have a ton of icebreakers in which to start approaching ppl: “hi, did you see the size of the macaw?” 🙂 To receive the $5 rate, just show the Tulle Party invitation at admissions.

Don’t forget, the success of this event is based on the people that come out to NETWORK. If you have other colleagues/people in mind that you would like to invite as guests, please feel free to do so and have them just RSVP with me either through cell 289.668.7933 or email ellen@aboutabride.ca

Here is the About a Bride Mission Statement/Statement of Faith. There is no hiding that this is a business based on a foundation of Christian values. Here is why I am motivated to do a wonderful job for you.

About a Bride believes that it all starts with God…Our Creator.

So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he create them.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and the animals that scurry on the ground. Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good”.(Genesis 1:27 – 28; 31a)

About a Bride Weddings & Events believes everything we receive – especially a marriage bond – is a gift from God. Therefore, we are inspired and motivated to make your wedding day as special and unique as possible and to oversee the details so as the two of you can solely focus on your new journey together.

About a Bride believes in the power of two, a couple. A marriage.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke 10:1-2)

About a Bride Weddings & Events is managed by a husband and wife team, Damion & Ellen Steen. In planning and coordinating the wedding you envision and desire, we feel our calling is:
* to show our love for and belief in Jesus Christ, God’s son
* to demonstrate God’s blessings through our example, work ethic and 100% dedication
* to live a life of love for Jesus Christ

About a Bride Believes in the sanctity of marriage and the importance of preparation both for your special wedding day and for the life bride and groom will enjoy together.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Matt 19:4-6)

Whether through referrals or through blog postings, About a Bride Weddings & Events highlights resources to build and continue building your marriage: Christian movies or books, local marriage counselors, online newsletters, financial, legal and health resources etc. This demonstrates that we truly care for all aspects of your marriage, not just your wedding, but you as a couple.

About a Bride believes in God’s blessings and provisions and obediently tithes.

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. (Deut 14:22)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:10)

About a Bride Weddings & Events tithes on every wedding and event we coordinate. Furthermore, each year we contribute to Christian-based organizations such as Focus on the Family Canada and Canadian Food for the Hungry and the local church.

About a Bride believes in demonstrating God’s love to everyone.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)

About a Bride Weddings & Events looks forward to working with all brides and grooms, whether of the Christian faith or not. We are called to serve and love everyone. We look forward to meeting you soon.

so About a Bride was on hiatus for a little…why?? well, avid readers of this blog know that it was “About a Baby” for a little. Yes, there is a new little associate in this business and his name is Eliel. He’s now 4 months and ready to help out on those Fall weddings! 🙂

Stay connected with this blog and the About a Bride website as there are plenty of new things coming this Fall.

Also, congrats to Sonnobia and Deo on their wedding — it was spectacular!

This past February, About a Bride Weddings & Events launched its first contest….

Called the “About Our Story” contest, brides and grooms sent in their story and a panel of judges choose the most endearing story and proposal. It was a very hard decision, as there were many unique ways to propose — you grooms did Great! But the panel persevered — and we choose a winner!

Congratulations to Mark & Madeleine.

They win a Grand Prize including photography/videography services, cake/sweets for the wedding or shower, favours, a limo for the day, personalized wedding songs, an officiant, makeup for the bride and a wedding planner (obviously, me).

An annual event held only in selected stores (Boston and Washington, DC have it twice a year, though), brides and their “supporters” line up early outside the department store door — sometimes even the night before. When the doors open, brides have to run towards the racks and grab as many dresses as they can to try on. Why the running?? Well, not only is this event very well attended by hundreds (thousands?) of brides, but the (potentially 3000 available) dresses are designer dresses as low as $250 and up to $700! It’s been recorded that in less than 60 seconds, the racks are completely bare and there is women changing and dresses flying everywhere! A few minutes later, if a bride hadn’t found the dress she wanted, then there is some potential trading going on.

So, if you are a bride on a budget or just want to get a fabulous deal…..here are the dates for the event:

March 25, 2009

Recently read this in a business-related e-zine, but thought it was related to marriage and life.

Bottom line: be happy with what you have, including (and especially) your spouse. You already have what’s gonna make you happy.

Love that man or woman completely and unconditionally.

A rich investment banker was visiting a small coastal Mexican village when a tiny boat with a fisherman docked. The banker complimented him on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. “Only a little while,” he replied. The banker asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The fisherman replied, “I have more than enough to support my family’s needs.” The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos.”

The banker said, “If you spend more time fishing, you could buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually you could have a fleet of fishing boats and open your own cannery. You could move to a large city and make millions.”

Unimpressed, the fisherman asked, “Then what?” The banker replied sheepishly, “Then you could retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village where you sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”

Made of 90 gemstones, 9 diamonds, 1 star-shaped ruby and orchids galore, this is the most expensive wedding bouquet in the world and it’s in the (Vietnamese) Guinness Book of Records and displayed at the ritzy-ist of all hotels – the Ruby Plaza in Hanoi.

Just thought we’d put budget aside for a couple of seconds to marvel….

About a Bride Weddings & Events, along with other wedding vendors are looking to read your proposal story. And the Grand Prize for the best proposal story is a prize package worth approximately $6,700 towards your wedding. Practically, a free wedding — you get services for photography/cinematography, limousine, wedding sweets, bridal makeup, favors, the officiant and the entertainment.

And how easy is it to submit your photo, your proposal story and fill out an application???

In October, I posted about a must-see movie called Fireproof . It was such a must see for us that we drove the 45 mins across the border to Buffalo (and got inquisitioned by the border official: “you are coming for a movie….??”).

Anyhow, I am a subscriber to an online Christian resource called FamilyLife.com and as a jump off to the book behind the movie, they’ve launched the “Online Love Dare” :a 40 day challenge to really loving your spouse and showing it. Each day, they send an email with a dare – whether it’s in thought, action or deed. You can start at any time or even access the archives.

Here’s more if you want to learn more about the Love Dare book but in the meantime, here’s a great video about the heart behind the movie and book, and in our marriages.

If you do take the Love Dare, post or email me privately and let me know how it’s going!

February 11, 2009

With all the planning and preparation for a wedding, one day rolls into the next and we become consumed with the “schedule”, the “have to-do’s”, the endless little errands…..and it’s just a countdown to the wedding day…

With all the daily responsibilities and long hours at your job, one day rolls into the next and we become consumed with the “schedule”, the “have to-do’s”, the endless little emails…and it’s just a countdown to when you can arrive home….

With all the daily tasks and errands for your home, one day rolls into the next and we become consumed with the “schedule”, the “have to-do’s”, the endless little chores…and it’s just a countdown to when you can plop into bed….

Sorry to sound like a sourpuss, but do you recognize a pattern?

Whether we are a stay at home mom, a working professional or a budding entrepreneur, the day is always filled and busy, yes? And with this, we can often find life going at a pace where we can’t take a moment and do something nice for someone else because we are always just trying to keep our heads above the water.

Recently, I came across this article from Canadian Living and thought “wow, yes, this would be a good thing. A very good thing”. And wouldn’t it be even more special knowing that you as a couple can do something nice for another person, family or group?

I am challenging my own family to get in on this —- and now I am challenging yours….One little “change” that I am making is that I aim to do one a week, not one a day, so feel free to adapt it however you want — the point is that your heart is in the right place and that you bear fruit! Set yourself up for success!

Contest is now closed: Congrats to Mark & Madeleine!

Welcome to About a Bride Weddings and Events, Inc. and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You must be filled with excitement, joy and anticipation!

About a Bride has the vision and understanding that each wedding is a symphony in the making. The combination of the right instruments and rhythm – as well as the right conductor – brings harmony to those ears listening and eyes watching...

About a Bride can help you in designing, planning, organizing and coordinating your wedding -- so that it's exactly what you wanted and at the price you expected.